Sad News: Martin Halpern
January 26, 2024
Dear Colleagues,
I write to share the sad news that Martin Halpern, Professor Emeritus of Theater Arts, passed away at his home in New York on September 10, 2023 at the age of 93.
Born in New York and raised in the Bronx, Martin earned a BA from the University of Rochester and a PhD in English from Harvard. Martin was appointed to the English faculty of the University of California, Berkeley where he taught until 1964. He joined the Theater Arts faculty at Brandeis in 1965. He taught playwriting and dramatic literature for 29 years and chaired the department for seven of those years. During his teaching years, Martin was a widely published poet and critic of literature and drama, and a prolific playwright with several awards to his credit.
Former student Christopher Greco, who earned an MFA in Playwriting from Brandeis in 1992, said Martin was, "a rare believer in my development as a playwright because he embraced the spiritual thrust of my creative process rather than arguing with it. We didn't see eye to eye but he met me eye to eye, and I am still working in theater in large part because of his belief in me. Just this week, I referenced to students the Passover question that Marty would evoke in defining when to begin a play: 'How is this day different from every other day?'"
Upon his retirement from Brandeis in 1994, Martin earned an MA in Music Composition from Queens College and launched a second career as a composer, writing works for small chamber groups and numerous chamber operas based on his own plays as well as those of Ibsen, Chekhov, and the ancient Greeks. He brought to all his projects a unique blend of intelligence, spirituality, humor and art.
Martin is survived by his wife Barbara Underwood, children Andrew Mackintosh, Jessica Halpern, and Robert Underwood-Halpern, and grandsons Danny and James Busato.
I am grateful to Christopher Greco and the Department of Theater Arts for their contributions to this memoriam.
Sincerely,
Carol A. Fierke
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs